Founded in 1982, Tearfund is a Christian international aid organization that works to end poverty. Tearfund Canada was known as World Relief Canada until January 2018. Through partnerships with local churches, Tearfund provides training on sustainable farming and operating savings groups. The charity is also a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), which is a partnership of organizations delivering food and emergency supplies to people in crisis. In F2019, the charity worked in 11 countries, including DR Congo, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Malawi, Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Tanzania. It supported 319,994 individuals by either lifting them out of poverty or providing life-saving aid. Tearfund Canada is one branch of the ‘TEAR Family’ with international Tearfund branches that work in more than 50 countries.

In F2019, Tearfund Canada allocated 67% of program spending to disaster relief and rehabilitation. In F2019, Tearfund Canada provided 99,380 people with life-saving aid. Each family helped by Tearfund Canada’s disaster response to Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines and an earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi received 130kg of grain and beans. The charity also provided medical care for 63,736 Syrian Refugees. The largest relief effort was likely in South Sudan, which has been damaged by famine and war over multiple decades. In the last year, Tearfund Canada worked with Tearfund South Sudan to provide 1,200 households with 8,400 residents monthly shipments of 105 kg of grain, 11 kg of beans, 6 litres of vegetable oil, and 1 kg of iodized salt. 

In F2019, Tearfund Canada allocated 33% of program spending to development. The charity empowers poor people to use the resources at their disposal to escape poverty. Teaching farming techniques increases harvests and organized savings groups allow community members to pool resources and make larger purchases. In F2019, Tearfund Canada improved 123,590 people’s lives economically through savings groups, with women comprising 85% of savings group members. The average cost to train one savings group member was $36. In the last year, Tearfund Canada has also equipped 349 church leaders to help transform their communities, and 736 church leaders are comforting victims of sexual violence.

Tearfund Canada spent an insignificant $9k on Education in F2019.

Tearfund Canada is a Medium-sized charity with donations of $2.1m in F2020. The charity received $5.4m from the government, representing 63% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 3% of total revenues (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 34% of donations. This means overhead costs are 37%. For every dollar donated, 63 cents go to the cause. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Tearfund has funding reserves of $2.5m, including $0.6m held at the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which could run programs for roughly four months.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Tearfund for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 17, 2020 by Eric Jose. Financials updated on October 15, 2020 by Greg Thomson.